Former National Party leader Simon Bridges has given evidence in a trial over alleged concealed political donations, agreeing Jami-Lee Ross became a political kamikaze.
Former National Party leader Simon Bridges. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The High Court in Auckland is hearing how the relationship between the pair fractured shortly after Bridges took up the party leader post in 2018.
At the time, Ross publicly claimed the party leader had asked him to collect and split one large donation to avoid disclosing who the donor was.
Under cross examination by Ross's lawyer Ron Mansfield QC on Wednesday, Bridges denied the allegations and said the MP had gone rogue.
"So what he was saying here was untrue or a lie," Mansfield said.
Bridges replied that was correct.
Ron Mansfield QC Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook
"This was Mr Ross going full kamikaze, wasn't it?," Mansfield asked, to which Bridges replied it was.
It is the third week of a trial examining the bank transfers, text threads, and socio-political networks of those accused of gaming political donations.
So far this week, two large anonymous donations made to the National Party in 2017 and 2018 are the focus.
The Crown alleges the two donations were split into smaller amounts among sham donors to avoid triggering the $15,000 disclosure limit, and hide the true donor - wealthy businessman Yikun Zhang.
The court heard how disappointed Ross felt in 2018 at being given the transport and infrastructure portfolios, when he had wanted to be chief whip or shadow leader of the house.
Mansfield read the court a text his client had sent to Bridges about the matter.
"My head says suck it up. My heart says go kamikaze. Head wins I'll suck it up."
Under cross examination, Bridges said he thought it was a good opportunity for Ross.
"It certainly wasn't a political set-back, I will not accept that at any level. He had been significantly promoted."
Text message exchanges between Jami-Lee Ross and former deputy leader Paula Bennett and former leader Simon Bridges were read out in court. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers
The court was also read a text message exchange between Ross and the party's then deputy leader Paula Bennett, sent the same day he had contacted Bridges.
"He just texted and said you're not happy about not being whip, this has been really hard for Simon," Bennett wrote to Ross.
"You are going straight to front bench prime spot and portfolios. It's too late for him to muck everybody else around. You are likely to be one of the biggest stories today give him a break," she added.
In his opening statements, Crown lawyer John Dixon QC said Ross provided a list of names of "sham donors" to the party, despite knowing the true donor was Zhang.
"As we will get to, the Crown's evidence shows Mr Ross has admitted this conduct at least with respect to 2018."
Under cross examination on Wednesday, Mansfield asked Bridges if he knew how many people had donated the $100,000 given to the party that year.
"I did not and I have not interrogated the details of the source of the donation ... they said they wanted to donate $100,000, great, I leave that with you Jami-Lee Ross for the National Party," Bridges said.
Ross, Zhang and two other businessmen - Colin Zheng and his twin brother Joe Zheng - have been charged by the Serious Fraud Office in relation to two donations to the National Party.
Zhang and the Zheng brothers also face charges relating to a 2017 Labour Party donation, alongside three others with name suppression.
All seven defendants deny the charges.
The judge-alone trial continues.